Boy on the bridge : the story of John Shalikashvili's American success / Andrew Marble.

Author
Marble, Andrew [Browse]
Format
Book
Language
English
Published/​Created
Lexington, Kentucky : The University Press of Kentucky, [2019]
Description
xvi, 396 pages ; 24 cm.

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Available Online

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Firestone Library - Stacks E840.5.S473 M37 2019 Browse related items Request

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    Summary note
    "In 2007, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General John Shalikashvili (1919-2011) penned an op-ed published in the New York Times calling for the United States to reverse its "Don't ask, don't tell" policy and support full recognition of LGBT Americans in the military. He followed up with a similar editorial in a 2009 issue of the Washington Post. The policy was reversed July 22, 2011, the day before the General's death. Many Americans may have been startled to see this support from a high-ranking military figure, but Shalikashvili's friends and colleagues were not surprised. "Shali," as he was known, had spent his life battling prejudice and oppression. In The Boy on the Bridge, Andrew Marble writes the first biography of this remarkable warrior and diplomat. Not only was Shalikashvili the first foreign-born person to be appointed Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, he was the first draftee, one of only two enlisted men, and only Officer Candidate School graduate. He grew up in Germany during World War II, emigrated to the United States with his family in 1952, and settled in Peoria, Illinois. Marble explores Shalikashvili's unusual background and family history to discover how Shalikashvili the soldier mastered the art of command and how Shaliskashvili the man developed as a human being to become a consummate, empathetic diplomat and leader. He helped guide the US and Europe through the chaos of the break-up of the Soviet Union and worked with Russia during this period to secure "loose nukes." He worked closely with fellow immigrant Madeleine Albright on The Partnership for Peace initiatives and NATO enlargement programs of the 1990s that allowed former Soviet satellites and republics to build ties with and eventually join NATO"-- Provided by publisher.
    Bibliographic references
    Includes bibliographical references and index.
    Contents
    • Pt. I The Nomination of John Shalikashvili
    • 1.Only in America
    • 2.How Many Shalikashvilis Can There Be in the World?!
    • pt. II Old World Roots
    • 3.Will It Play in Peoria?
    • 4.Missy and Wartime Warsaw
    • 5.Countess Julie Pappenheim
    • 6.Oma and the Passing of the Old World
    • 7.Betrayal
    • pt. III New World Opportunities
    • 8.To Become an Officer?
    • 9.Dimitri, Prisoner of War
    • 10.A Strategic Yes
    • 11.The Crucible of OCS
    • pt. IV Paying It Forward: Operation Provide Comfort
    • 12.Savior of the Kurds?
    • 13.Mushroom Cloud
    • 14.Huddled Masses
    • 15.Warning the Iraqis
    • 16.A World Figure?
    • 17.Briefing Congress
    • pt. V To Confirm a Chairman
    • 18.Getting to Yes
    • 19.The Ghost of Dimitri
    • 20.Blondi and the Boy on the Bridge
    • pt. VI The Twilight of an American Dream
    • 21.Retirement Day
    • 22.The Final Inheritance.
    Other title(s)
    Story of John Shalikashvili's American success
    ISBN
    • 9780813178028 (hardcover)
    • 0813178029 (hardcover)
    LCCN
    2019023227
    OCLC
    1102468347
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